SameSame.com.au ~ Inside Out Australia

Film - Nine

Reviews, By Cheetah77, 22nd January, 2010

In 1962 as he was preparing to commence his new film, Italian Director Federico Fellini faced every filmmaker’s worst nightmare – Directors’ Block. He overcame it by making a film about a director with writer’s block and 8 ½ became the most successful film he ever made.

Nine is a homage to Fellini and this time of his life and is the film version of the Broadway smash hit of the same name. In Hollywood style it has been hyped to the hilt, mostly due to the all-star cast. It is directed by Rob Marshall who did Chicago a few years ago, so the comparisons are rife but the question is, does the film live up to Marshall’s previous success and the hype it has been getting?

The film opens as famous Italian director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) is pulling together his new show and you quickly learn that his life is quickly falling apart. His last few films have flopped and the pressure is mounting to deliver on his next film, Italia. He flees Rome to a seaside spa hotel where he is joined by his mistress Carla (Penelope Cruz) and shortly after, his producer, crew and costume department who set up shop in the basement of the hotel.

As Guido reflects on where it all went wrong, his life continues to dissolve further and his story is told through a series of musical numbers, fantasies and memories performed by the female cast who represent different women from his past and present – all of whom have had a great impact on the man he has become. The score has been changed considerably from the musical and the soundtrack suffers for it. None of the songs really make an impact although the performances are all strong – particularly Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson and Fergie who sing the shit out of their numbers.

Performance wise, the standouts are Nicole Kidman, perfectly cast as Guido’s muse Claudia, a gorgeous and glamorous Hollywood star; Dame Judi Dench as Guido’s quick-witted and ever-forgiving friend and costume designer Lilli; and his long-suffering wife Luisa played by Marion Cottilard whose portrayal of a betrayed and devastated wife is just beautiful.

The multitude of characters means that many of them are poorly developed and most of them only have 5-10 minutes of screen time throughout the film. Stylistically the movie jumps back and forth from the main story to song and dance fantasy territory as it did with Chicago. Unfortunately unlike that film, the storyline just isn’t strong enough to carry itself without relying on the impressive cast to carry the film.

Although not as good as hoped, Nine is still a good film. The appreciation levels definitely rise as the story unfolds, giving you new perspectives on Guido’s life and it does make you think about the choices you make and the people you cast to play the lead roles on the stage of your life.